Well, Craig, I just plucked the phrase "second string" out of my head without having ANY idea who was in the Maori team. No, really.

Settle down mate, that is clearly not what I meant. Of course you have the first choice fifteen, and then you have your seven reserve players and the players on the fringe of that first XV, and if I had meant the bloody Moari team or the Junior All Blacks, then I would have friggin' have said so. In what I meant, I didn't expect Richie McCaw or Dan Carter to play, instead give somebody else a go, that is what I was asking.

Settle down mate, that is clearly not what I meant. Of course you have the first choice fifteen, and then you have your seven reserve players and the players on the fringe of that first XV, and if I had meant the bloody Moari team or the Junior All Blacks, then I would have friggin' have said so. In what I meant, I didn't expect Richie McCaw or Dan Carter to play, instead give somebody else a go, that is what I was asking.

Fiji and Samoa would be decent, nay pretty good teams - if all their best players didn't defect to the All Blacks at the first sign of a rugby contract.

If William Ryder ever defects to the All Blacks, I will be very disappointed. Great to watch in the Sevens.

>>>>>>WHHOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHH>>>>>>Fascist Dictator of the Heath Davis Appreciation SocietySupporting Petone's Finest since the very start - Iain O'Brien
Adam Wheater - Another batsman off the Essex production line
Also Supporting the All Time #1 Batsman of All Time Ever - Jacques Kallis and the much maligned Peter Siddle.

Now might be a good time for you to brush up on the international rugby eligibility laws.

I'm more than willing to admit that I know nothing of the rugby eligibility laws. I haven't played the game since it entered the professional era. I'll watch the game, and 99&#37; of the time, that's enough for me - just looking for something to talk about has steered me into discussing rugby which is guaranteed to set me up for a fall.

Either way, if the best XV Fijians and best XV Samoans in the world played together, they'd be a pretty good team - that's all I was trying to say.

PS: I've lost all respect for Alf from Home n Away due to his association with you

William Ryder cannot defect to the All Blacks. Since about 2000, there has been a one-country ruling. Rupeni Caucaunibuca clearly didn't understand this in 2003 after the RWC when he decided he'd switch to the All Blacks, and it had to be publicly explained to him "well, Rups, this isn't actually possible."

And you're opening up a can of worms I am well-known for not liking the taste of on here. Which Samoans and Fijians playing for NZ should be playing for the Islands and why?

Either way, if the best XV Fijians and best XV Samoans in the world played together, they'd be a pretty good team - that's all I was trying to say.

That's all I'm saying; regardless of eligibility, there are people playing for the All Blacks who have Samoan or Fijian blood in 'em. And with them, Fiji and Samoa would be pretty good teams. No more, no less. Didn't realise there'd be controversy in saying that if some darn good players joined a decent side they'd be a better side. I am not making any comment on whether they should be playing for the All Blacks or not.

That's all I'm saying; regardless of eligibility, there are people playing for the All Blacks who have Samoan or Fijian blood in 'em. And with them, Fiji and Samoa would be pretty good teams. No more, no less. Didn't realise there'd be controversy in saying that if some darn good players joined a decent side they'd be a better side. I am not making any comment on whether they should be playing for the All Blacks or not.

No, you said this, which is quite different:

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

Fiji and Samoa would be decent, nay pretty good teams - if all their best players didn't defect to the All Blacks at the first sign of a rugby contract.
.

Fiji and Samoa would be decent, nay pretty good teams - if all their best players didn't defect to the All Blacks at the first sign of a rugby contract.

What you say in haste, you repent at leisure.

**** it I say, I've already said I know little about rugby, so pin me to the mast for it. (EDIT: Naughty Heath, another slap on the wrist there.)

If you won't even allow someone to backtrack on their original comments, what am I going to do? I've tried to backtrack gracefully, but you go back to my original post. Big whoop. Now, I'm old enough not to get in a bad mood about such things, but is there much point of nailing a self-confessed not-rugby obsessed person to the mast?